Straddle seat type vehicles, such as snowmobiles, are operated on a wide variety of terrain. Much of this terrain is frequently not level, with the vehicle being operated on an incline or a decline. During use, large forces are transmitted through a ground engaging element, such as a drive track, through a drive train to a braking system. In a traditional gearing system, these forces are transmitted through the drive train in a way that puts large binding forces on components used for shifting the vehicle between a forward direction and a reverse direction.
These binding forces make it difficult for users to shift the gears between forward and reverse, particularly when the vehicle is at an incline or decline.